Coalescence
by Giannoulias
Summary: Fluffy fluff. I regret nothing.


Taric loved thunderstorms. He loved the sound of rain on the rooftop of the Institute of War, the bolts of lightning that would light up all the windows with flashes of pure white, the bold, loud claps of thunder that would follow soon after. He loved knowing that all of the precious plants were getting a much-needed drink, and he loved the lingering smell after the rain that could only be described as fresh. To Taric, everything about rain just shouted renewal and rejuvenation, and it made him feel energized and happy.

Everyone else seemed to favor curling up in their beds with a good book during the rain, but Taric just couldn't keep still. He felt that he had to get up and wander around, if only to stretch his legs. He could barely control this urge, and sometimes it felt as though he was not merely roaming aimlessly, but searching for something. What was he looking for? He wasn't entirely sure.

Until he found it.

Taric was wandering down one of the many side corridors off the entrance hall. These corridors were lined mostly with storage closets and lounges - lounges where League champions could basically just lounge around, relax between matches and on weekends, hang out and talk to each other. Taric's favorite part about the lounges was that they all had large picture windows. His plan had been to go into one of the lounges and spend some time gazing out the window, watching for a few bursts of lightning and rolls of thunder before continuing his journey through the Institute.

Taric stepped into the room, and the first thing he noticed was the enormous window. The familiar sight made him smile. The glass was streaked with rivulets formed by the trickling raindrops, and moonlight streamed through to form a softly-glowing rectangle on the carpeted floor that was otherwise shrouded in darkness. Taric didn't bother to light the wall lamps, he simply headed straight for the sofa that faced the picture window. But before he got there, he noticed something in the corner.

It appeared to be a huddled person, though in the dark it was hard to really tell. But in the next second, a flash of lightning pierced the room, and Taric was able to clearly see a boy wrapped tightly in a large blanket with his knees pulled up to his chest and his face buried in his arms. Tufts of familiar blond hair stuck up from the folds, and he jumped a bit at the flash of lightning, seeming to tense up. Moments later, the inevitable sound of thunder shook the room. This one pealed particularly loudly, and as the noise shook the room, the huddled figure pulled the blanket tighter around himself. It was so inaudible, Taric wasn't sure he'd heard it at first, but the boy seemed to let out a soft whimper.

"Ezreal?"

His head snapped up to turn toward the voice. The room was still dark, but the moonlight reflected off his pale skin, outlining shiny wet trails that ran down the sides of his face and over the red markings under his eyes. He hurriedly wiped his cheeks with the blanket and cleared his throat.

"Jeez, Taric, you scared me. I mean, not scared, just startled, but you know. You snuck up on me."

The last words were said with a shallow chuckle that did not fool Taric for even a second. Ezreal was quaking uncontrollably and his voice, despite its cheery tone, had a noticeable tremor to it. Taric smiled and sat down in front of him.

"You're afraid of thunderstorms." It wasn't a question.

"I-I am not!"

Taric said nothing, just waited. The silence was uncomfortable and lasted for several long moments.

"We...we didn't...have storms...in Piltover..."

It sounded as though Ezreal was choosing his words very carefully. Taric knew that he prided himself on being unafraid to face danger head-on and was probably very embarrassed that anyone had caught him in this state.

"Rain always happened at night, and there was never any thunder or lightning at all...I'm just not used to it, I guess...no matter where I am in this building, I can always hear the thunder. I know it's crazy - I mean, it's just a noise, it can't hurt me, right? It's silly. But I just can't help being afraid of it. So I had to get away from all my friends...I don't want them to see me like this...even if it means-"

Ezreal was cut off by another flash of lightning. His eyes widened and he stopped trembling as every muscle in his body tensed. He looked so terrified, so positively helpless, that Taric just did the first action he could think of to try and comfort the boy.

He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Ezreal, enveloping him in warmth. Ezreal, almost by instinct, replied by tilting his head to rest it against Taric's chest. He squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the thunderclap to roll by. It was a sharp, loud, and frighteningly close sound. Taric tightened his hold around Ezreal as he felt the blond jump in terror.

"Shh, it's alright."

The murmur flowed easily from Taric's lips. Ezreal whimpered again and leaned in closer, pressing himself against Taric's chest and nuzzling his face into the brunette's shoulder. Taric allowed one of his hands to drift upward and begin idly toying with the locks of soft blond hair. The gentle touches seemed to comfort Ezreal, and Taric could feel his shoulders relax.

"Do you always hide in this room?"

"I'm not hiding! I'm...I just..." Ezreal sighed. "Yes. Always this one."

Taric paused, nodding thoughtfully. "Well then...I will, too."

Ezreal turned his face upward to look at Taric in surprise. "What?"

"I'll be here for you."

"...I don't need you."

Taric chuckled. "What are you ashamed of? There's no one here but us, and I don't think less of you."

"...I...I don't know...I guess if you want..."

Taric leaned down to brush his lips against the smooth skin of Ezreal's forehead.

"I don't want you to be afraid."

Taric could feel Ezreal's face grow warmer. His hands slowly snaked out from under the blanket to wrap around Taric's waist, pulling the two closer together. Neither of them said anything else. The storm lasted several hours longer, but each time the lightning flashed, Ezreal would hold Taric tighter, and the clap of thunder that followed wouldn't seem quite as scary. They stayed like that into the wee hours of the morning, when the lightning couldn't be seen at all and the thunder faded into a low, distant rumble. All that remained was the pitter-patter of rain on the rooftop and the sound of two hearts beating as one as they fell asleep in each other's arms.


End file.
